Manila, Jan. 24 -- The Department of National Defense (DND) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Saturday strongly condemned the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs for accusing certain Philippine uniformed personnel of "habitually inciting confrontation" about the West Philippine Sea.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun claimed on Jan. 19 that some Philippine service members were "driven by personal political motives" and had "repeatedly made outrageous and absurd statements."

"The Department of National Defense and the Armed Forces of the Philippines strongly condemn such an affront to any of its members and reiterates that it shall not be cowed by any official of the PROC (People's Republic of China) whether ...